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Smarter parking technology means less traffic for you

If you have ever driven a car then you know just how tough traffic can be. It is especially bad when you have people trying to find parking as others are trying to get past. For quite a long time now, we have wondered why someone wasn’t doing something about parking to make it easier […]

If you have ever driven a car then you know just how tough traffic can be. It is especially bad when you have people trying to find parking as others are trying to get past. For quite a long time now, we have wondered why someone wasn’t doing something about parking to make it easier for everyone. We have good news for all of you drivers out there, because there are new technologies that are going to make finding parking easier than ever. This means you can spend less time on the road and more time getting the things done that you need to during the day. You’ll also have far less people honking at you as you try to locate that perfect parking space.

Most Traffic is Caused by Parking Confusion

Before we talk to you about the types of changes that are being made to make your life easier, let’s talk to you about just how bad parking has gotten these days. Did you know that as much as 75% of traffic is caused by people who are trying to find parking? On top of that, each time an individual is looking for parking; there is typically between 5 and 14 minutes wasted. Seem a bit overboard? The next time you look for parking, pay closer attention to just how much time you waste and you’ll probably be surprised. Every time we have timed ourselves lately, we have found that around 4 minutes is pretty typical and we were shocked. Funny how time seems to fly when you are stressing out and stuck in traffic (or the person causing it).

More Cities Are Tracking Parking

Many cities recently (including Los Angeles) are actually installing sensors along with meters that actually keep track of when a car is present. Once the space is empty, the meter is sent a signal and it recognizes that the space is open. This not only helps to notify drivers where the nearest spaces are but also affects pricing. These meters actually keep track of which times of the day or week are the busiest as a way to adjust prices to keep traffic to a minimum and help you save money during times when most parking spaces aren’t in demand.

Paying is Easier Than Ever

Even paying for parking has become easier than ever. As we told you above, meters are notified when a parking space is empty. This doesn’t just help people who are on the road but also allows people to see where spaces are from the web or their smart phones. This actually allows you to pay for your parking before you even arrive. So, this is not only going to save you time but it is also going to help keep traffic to a minimum because you are going to know exactly where that perfect space is.

This Technology Isn’t Exactly Cheap

The only downside to this new technology is the fact that it’s not exactly affordable and while in time it does pay for itself; a lot of cities simply do not have the funds available to invest in such a large change. With that being said, this may not be something you see in your area for some time, if ever. Each sensor costs the city about $30 per sensor every single month. This doesn’t not include maintenance and checkups to make sure the meters are properly working and able to communicate with the sensors. So, as much as we love this technology, we may not be able to get the advantages of it for quite some time.

An App That Allows You To Help

If you are a fan of less traffic and quicker parking then you may want to check out the Roadify App. What this application allows you to do is track the parking space you are in. When you leave, you notify the app and this allows other drivers that use the app to see that the space is opening up. While this takes a lot of effort from the public, it’s something that we think could make amazing changes. This would mean more and more people being able to get home on time, reach their important meeting without delay and have overall better days.

In order for changes such as these to stick, we really need to invest our time into them and possibly some of our money. The only problem with that is that the economy isn’t exactly in the best shape these days. At least the Roadify App is a way that you can help even if you cannot financially help the project because less traffic is going to make life easier for so many of us. Traffic is one of our least favorite things to deal with.

Michael Thomson is an expert automobile consultant having more than 25 years of industry experience. He is also an active member of airport parking Melbourne association.